The Ngorongoro Crater is at the centre of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, to the east of the Serengeti national park. The crater itself is an extinct volcanic caldera, a naturally protected area with a lake smack in the middle, and home to so much wildlife, you'd think they'd been booked to appear just for you.

 

The drive up the crater rim is through dense forests that suddenly disappear at the crater rim, where you look down onto a plain dotted with herds of zebra wildebeest and buffalo. To ease congestion, the crater operates a one-way system for vehicles, that takes you down one road to the area below, then winds back up another route, maximising your chances of spotting lion, elephants, the occasional rhino and the rare sight of leopards.

 

At first sight, the Ngorongoro Crater seems relaxed, almost laid back. Herds of wildebeests grunt and snort their way across the grasslands, sharing the space with zebra and the occasional warthog, ripping earth apart with tusk and hoof to tasty treats below. Here, too sabre antelope graze, their spiralled antlers jutting proudly from their pretty, striped faces. Suddenly, the mood changes as the curled tails of lionesses appear in the grass, but they are not hungry this time, just passing through. Calm returns.

 

The Ngorongoro Crater actually has four main water areas; Lake Magadi, the Gorigor Swamp, the Ngoitokitok Springs and the Mandusi Swamp. The last two also have hippo pools, filled with a satisfaction of ear-twitching hippos, who occasionally yawn to reveal meaningful tusks and cavernous mouths. The local birdlife seem undeterred by the hippos; pelicans swim by with affected indifference. Approaching Lake Magadi, you may think the heat has affected your eyesight, as you see the waters fringed with pink, but these are flocks of flamingos, scooping, bobbing and high-steeping their way through the waters.

 

All too soon, it's time to head back the crater rim, but the Ngorongoro Crater still has wildlife to spare to reveal. Ostriches stand proud amongst the vegetation, and just when the crater walls rise above and the landscape turns from flat to vertical, a line of elephants might appear from the trees, the perfect end to a wonderful game drive in the Ngorongoro Crater.

 

© 2009 Kirsty Young